Subject: Mexican Food and Cooking

• Kids Eat The Darndest Things: Los Lupes, Duncanville

  November 6, 2008

• Short Orders: Cyclone Anaya's (Oak Lawn)

  Cyclone Anaya's3211 Oak Lawn Ave.214-420-0030Recent visits to this popular outpost of the Houston-based chain inspire two observations.First, bars and restaurants in Dallas consider the Margarita a child's drink. Order the famous Tex-Mex cocktail and, with a few exceptions, they bring out something bar-syrup sweet and only vaguely alcoholic, the sugary limeade flavor disguising shortcomings in the tequila department. Occasionally you pick up on a familiar effervescence in the background, a flitt

  February 9, 2009

• On The Range: West Texas Enchiladas

  The first of a series documenting Chris Meesey's personal quest for authentic Tex-Mex. But we'll let him tell you more... I'm a genu-wine Texan, born and bred. In fact, I began life at Nix Hospital, San Antonio--less than one mile from The Alamo, the acknowledged epicenter of the Texas Universe. How much more Lone Star can you get than that? And, like most old-school Texans, I have my food likes and dislikes. Last time I checked, I think it was in the Texas Constitution that all Texans must

  February 11, 2009

• On The Range: Fajitas

  I made a rather startling discovery while continuing my quest into the origins of Tex-Mex. For some reason I had assumed fajitas were a California addition, perhaps because of their ready adoption in to the presumably healthier Cal-Mex lineup. But no--legend credits Ninfa's in Houston, although according to Robb Walsh's seminal work The Tex-Mex Cookbook, fajitas are as Tejano as Rudy Cisneros, Selena or Juan Seguin--originating in the Lower Rio Grande Valley in the 1940's. There, butchers cal

  February 18, 2009

• On The Range: Combination Plates

  Dwight Eisenhower (right) took Mamie for a Tex-Mex combo plate at The Original Mexican Restaurant in San Antonio before WWILet's get one thing straight: Tex-Mex has never pretended to represent Mexican cuisine in its entirety. In fact, according to Robb Walsh, author of The Tex-Mex Cookbook, the genre was developed by Euro-American descendants and Hispanics living in Texas (Tejanos)--and was designed to be marketed to gringos. This week, my quest to find examples of authentic Tex-Mex in Dallas

  February 25, 2009

• On The Range: Mexican Breakfasts

  Beans for breakfast? Are you kidding?Ah, but according to the indispensable tome The Tex-Mex Cookbook, here in the Lone Star State a pot of beans was often used to break a cowboy's fast on the long trail, whether plain (as preferred by eminent Texas writer J Frank Dobie) or with a little bacon and chile added.At some point, an enterprising mamacita got the bright idea of mashing them into a paste and frying them up with lard or bacon grease to create that Tex-Mex staple, refried beans.

  March 4, 2009

• On The Range: Tamales

  Pig's head tamales?Well, yes. Robb Walsh notes in his Tex-Mex cookbook that traditional emporiums use pig's heads as their base meat when making their husky creations. The head is boiled until the meat and lard cook away, then the broth is used to moisten the masa harina (corn meal infused with lime) before the pork and lard are whipped together until fluffy. Finally, mixture is wrapped into masa.Walsh goes on to note that some tamale-makers use the easier-to-handle pork butts. In any case, the

  March 11, 2009

• Border Wars

  November 28, 2002

• On The Range: Enchiladas

  Let's face it: A true Tex-Mex establishment succeeds or fails on the strength of its enchiladas. I realize I'm speaking only for myself, at least as far as popular dishes go. Many patrons of an El-or-La-something-or-other (as Rosemary Kent dubbed Tex-Mex restaurants in her Genuine Texas Handbook, released a generation ago) are perfectly content to order fajitas, tacos, or quesadillas every time. However, one can always learn volumes about the cook's commitment to authenticity through enc

  March 25, 2009

• On The Range: Tortillas

  Corn or flour?Depends on the filling. This comes from Alison Cook, author of "Taco Capitol, USA," a groundbreaking Texas Monthly cover story on the subject of Tex-Mex cuisine, who notes that while flour tortillas are better suited to Northern Mexico-style grilled meats and to breakfast tacos, "certain (soft) taco fillings seem to cry out for the character and texture of a properly mealy, layery corn tortilla: nopalitos (prickly-pear cactus pads), homey Mexican stews (such as carne guisada), and

  April 1, 2009

• At Agave Azul, Tequila and Ornery Old Men Bring a New Look to Old Town Carrollton

  March 5, 2009

• Nueva Casita

  January 15, 2009

• Ask a Mexican

  In corn vs. flour, wheat gets a smackdown

  July 24, 2008

• Vintage Tex-Mex

  July 3, 2008

• Bless Us, Oh Lard

  July 3, 2008

• Review: Herrera's Cafe No. 1

  Herrera's sensational tortillas and fiery salsa will keep us coming back.

  April 24, 2008

• Pepe & Mito's

  Pepe & Mito's solid food is nice, the liquid diet even nicer

  January 17, 2008

• Review: Urban Taco

  Try a little Mexican food without the gloop and refrieds

  January 3, 2008

• Ask A Mexican

  All good things come from Texas—in food, anyway

  December 6, 2007

• Review: Luna de Noche

  In excess

  October 18, 2007

• The Haunting

  Tradicion can't shake the ghost of restaurants past

  September 13, 2007

• How Can They Call It Mexican Food If It Doesn’t Bring the Heat?

  June 4, 2009

• Bejeweled and Bedeviled

  La Joya makes boilerplate Mexican transcendent

  June 7, 2007

• ¡Ask a Mexican!

  August 17, 2006

• Mexican Swim

  Piscatory and carnivorous delights at Café San Miguel

  March 9, 2006

• Zest is Best

  Spice things up with ZestFest

  September 8, 2005

• Discomfort Zone

  Comfort food, bewildering atmosphere at Manny's

  September 8, 2005

• Stuff It

  Plus: Liberal Libations

  June 9, 2005

• Chili-ing Out

  Why can't they make Texas food outside Texas?

  February 17, 2005

• Best Mexican Restaurant

  Avila's Mexican Restaurant

  October 14, 2004

• Best Place for Healthful Mexican Food

  Baja Fresh Mexican Grill

  October 14, 2004

• Heathen Eating

  Mimo's Tex-Mex lacks flavor

  July 1, 2004

• Bump in the Road

  You'll be drinking faster than you eat at Wahoo Grill & Cantina

  December 19, 2002

• Lovely 'Rita

  The neat, clean Margarita Ranch needs to let loose a little

  April 4, 2002

• On The Range: Chimichangas

  Toasted monkey or [expletive deleted]? These are the two prevailing definitions for the origin of the term chimichanga, that ever-popular fried burrito that has become a staple at Tex-Mex establishments.Chimichangas may have originated as early as the 1940's, when cooks at a bar in Nogales, Arizona baked (not fried) one and called it "toasted monkey" due to the finished product's simian-like color. Changa in Mexican Spanish means female monkey--although other Latin countries find d

  April 29, 2009

• On The Range: Chicken Tortilla Soup

  Mexican cooks reuse leftovers like nobody's business. Consider the plight of the frugal family in days of yore, north or south of the border. The basics of life--shelter and food--are not certainties. Since the beginning of farming, rural families learned not to toss any part of a plant or animal that could make a nice meal with just a little ingenuity. Thus dishes such as lengua (beef tongue) or barbacoa de cabeza (slow-cooked cow's head) were born.Even low-cost items like tortillas are

  May 6, 2009

• On The Range: Chiles Rellenos

  Chiles rellenos, Emeril-stylePoblano peppers or Anaheim? When making chiles rellenos, the chef must first consider which pepper might better serve his or her vision of the completed dish. Indeed, they are similar and both are widely used, but tasting reveals subtle but noticeable differences. The leaner Anaheim pepper is actually American in origin, specifically New Mexico by way of California, and its flavor is often more delicate--which some might argue serves as a better canvas for the

  May 20, 2009

• Agave Tex-Mex: Good, Bad and Ugly

  May 21, 2009

• On The Range: Burritos

  Kvanhorn, via FlickrOn The Range is a weekly exploration of the history and lore of Texas menu items.San Francisco in the mid-1960's. Peace, love, and cable cars. Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair. If you were into music, you could go to the Avalon Ballroom or Bill Graham's Fillmore West Auditorium and for a couple of bucks hear such bands as Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, and Quicksilver Messenger Service, whose thirty-minute workouts on Bo Diddley's classic "Who Do You Lov

  June 10, 2009

• On The Range: Flautas & Taquitos

  From street vendor snack to the frozen food aisle.On The Range is a weekly exploration of the history and lore of Texas menu items.Sometime toward 3 a.m., when the drinking is (usually) winding down and serious munchies coming on, almost anything will make for a snack, providing it releases the right amount of filler and fat into your system.  If you're in San Diego there are plenty of options. According to David Moye, in his article, "Roll Another Number for the Road," published in

  July 1, 2009

• Dude Food: Ojeda's

  Ojeda's chili rellenoEach week the Dude Food guys assess the 'masculinity' of Dallas area dives. The more fried meat and junk on the walls, the better the rating...Ojeda's4617 Maple Ave. 214-528-8383Dude Factor: 8, or Lucky Day, on a scale of 1 (The Singing Bush) to 10 (El Guapo)Thanks to its quick service, reliable dishes, dirt-cheap prices and proximity to CIty Of Ate HQ, Ojeda's has become one of my favorite lunch spots. The place is unabashedly Tex-Mex, without even a hint of "Fresh-Mex," "M

  July 21, 2009

• On The Range: Quesadillas

  On The Range is a weekly exploration of the history and lore of Texas menu items.Say cheese.Quesadilla translates as "little cheesy thing"--so no true recipe can exist without it. Even vegan variations tend to use soy cheese prominently. Writing in his book Mexico: One Plate at a Time, Rick Bayless lists three basic types of quesadillas, the primary difference being their methods of preparation:"The one prepared from a ready-made tortilla (mostly a corn tortilla in Mexico, a flour one in the U

  July 22, 2009

• Surviving Another Encounter With Convenience-Store Tacos

  July 23, 2009

• Hot Comic Action

  July 30, 2009

• Veggie Guy: Monica's Aca Y Alla

  ​The City of Ate's, um, kind and generous editor...yeah...once asked me what I thought this city needed in terms of vegan food. My answer: "I wish the Mexican restaurants would catch on." Because it's true--Mexican restaurants are slim pickings for vegans in Dallas due to the fact that most of them incorporate lard and animal-based broths in their dishes. Sadly, many claim their chicken broth-based rice and beans are "vegetarian" because, you know--chickens aren't animals, right? (Ay ay ay!

  August 4, 2009

• Veggie Guy: Vegan-Friendly Tex Mex Chains

  Latin stir fry at Mi Cocina.​A lot of people ask me where they can get some good vegan Tex-Mex around town. I usually guide them to Monica's, where vegans can get the best enchiladas in Dallas, but I understand that driving down to Deep Ellum isn't always practical...especially if you're on the wrong other side of the loop. These are my picks for vegan-friendly Tex-Mex joints with multiple locations: Mattito's: The Lite Vegetable Fajitas are steamed vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, squash,

  September 1, 2009

• On The Range: Tostadas

  ​On The Range is a weekly exploration of the history and lore of Texas menu items.How do you describe a tostada? As with many Latin dishes, it often depends on what side of the border you come from. In Texas, or most of the other Estados Unidos, the tostada ("toasted") is most familiar in its classic Tex-Mex, taco-salad-wannabe incarnation: Seasoned ground beef or refried beans spread on a flat, fried corn tortilla, then covered with diced tomato, shredded lettuce, cheese, and salsa. You know

  September 9, 2009

• On The Range: Migas

  PedroserafinA Spanish version of migas.​On The Range is a weekly exploration of the history and lore of Texas menu items.Eggs, tortilla strips, onions, chiles, and cheese. Or bread, oil & vinegar, spinach, alfalfa, and....licorice flavoring?? Believe it or not, these are some of the raw ingredients of two classic versions of that breakfast staple, migas. You are, no doubt, familiar with the Tex-Mex incarnation of the dish, which is yet another rendition of eggs and is quite similar in com

  September 16, 2009

• On The Range: Tortas

  ​On The Range is a weekly exploration of the history and lore of Texas menu items.No matter that you haven't read the strip in many years, or even if you've never perused the comic that has been a staple of the funny papers across the country for over 70 years, you still probably know that Dagwood Bumstead snacks on impossibly tall sandwiches. Perhaps you've even eaten a Dagwood sandwich yourself, wondering all the while how a man rapidly approaching middle age can consume such humongous thin

  October 7, 2009

• On The Range: Huaraches

  Ooops...wrong image.​On The Range is a weekly exploration of the history and lore of Texas menu items."If everybody had an ocean/Across the U.S.A/Then everybody'd be surfin'/Like Californ-I-a/You'd see 'em wearing their baggies/Huarache sandals too..." Despite the popularity brought to them by the Beach Boys way back when, huaraches aren't just a type of shoe. In fact, they are an oblong-shaped delicacy made from fresh masa, flattened into a form that is roughly the same thickness as pita

  October 14, 2009